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"All the time I'm not writing I feel like a criminal." -Fran Lebowitz

Friday, December 9, 2016

OHO - Principal Photography Update

It’s over.

Well, it’s not over, of course. It’s not anywhere near being over. There are many, many steps left before ONE HOUR OUTCALL is finished. We’ve got to edit the footage, color correct, fix sound issues…not to mention when that’s over, actually go out and try to figure out a way to get people to actually see the thing. So no, it’s not over. There’s an argument to be made that it will NEVER be over, not totally…

But production is over. Principal photography for ONE HOUR OUTCALL is over. And it feels good.

During the shoot, I got a lot of ribbing for seeming uptight, for not relaxing, for rarely smiling. It prompted me to post on Facebook one night, “Yo, I smile when things get done, yo.” It’s true; part of my notion of having fun is getting things done. I can appreciate that perhaps I need to lighten up a bit (or considerably), but part of the enjoyment for me is the notion that things are moving forward, that I’m making progress, that a creative project I’m involved in is coming to fruition. That’s not to say I have ZERO enjoyment of the process; I do. But part of the pleasure for me is knowing that I’m making my way towards actually finishing something. After so many years of merely talking about stuff and not doing much, now it’s become not only about doing much but finishing much.

ONE HOUR OUTCALL was shot over twenty-three days. Twenty-three days to shoot a 138-page script, 100 of those 138 pages shot in fourteen days. Twenty-three days with a fantastic cast that gelled quickly, knew their stuff, and brought the talent and insight to the script. Twenty-three days, most of which with a crew of the great, award-winning director T. Arthur Cottam, his (and my) right-hand man Jim Eshom, and makeup artist Shayna Madison. A 140-page script shot in just over three working weeks with a crew of essentially three.

That is amazing. It would be amazing even if the product DIDN’T look great. But with T., Jim, and Shayna’s work, along with the work of on-set editor Sam Hook who was cutting and assembling as we went, we think the final product WILL look great. The trailer Sam cut certainly looks great:

If you haven’t taken a look yet, please do and consider making a contribution to our GoFundMe campaign:

Because while production is complete, of course we’re not done, and we could use your help. ONE HOUR OUTCALL is shaping up to be a unique, intriguing film. I’m extremely proud of it already. Even if it’s not done.

Before he left the night we wrapped, T. looked at me and said, “Now the hard part begins.” He’s right. It’s not over. But it feels good and feels better with each new step forward.